A mobile communication device, such as a “flip phone” or “clamshell” type handheld mobile communication device, may have a linked end and an opposite free end. The device may comprise at least a first body member and a second body member which are coupled together at the linked end by a hinge or linkage mechanism such that the device can move between a closed position and an opened position. The first and second body members are commonly referred to as lid and base members respectively.
The lid and base members may commonly include a graphical display and keyboard respectively. The graphical display and keyboard can be on respective inner surfaces of the lid and base members. In the closed position, the inner surfaces of the lid and base members may be adjacent and not accessible to a user of the device. In the opened position, the inner surfaces may be accessible, and the graphical display and keyboard may, therefore, also be accessible to a user of the device.
In a mobile communication device, such as a flip phone device, it may be desirable for some functions to be available when the device is closed. A user of the device may, for example, desire to check the device status, control media, silence a ringer, play games, use a camera integrated in the device, or send or receive other information while the device is in the closed position. Therefore, the device may further include interface elements, such as a touch screen, on an interface surface which is located on an outer surface of the device in order to be accessible by a user of the device when the flip phone is in a closed position.
In a conventional mobile communication device, interface elements on an outer surface of the device may not be easily accessible when the device is in the open position. For example, when the device is in the open position, the outer surface with the interface elements may not face the same direction as the inner surfaces having a graphical display and keyboard. The interface elements may also be hidden or partially hidden by the lid and/or base members when the device is in the open position. Therefore, a conventional approach to allow access to interface elements when a mobile communication device, such as a flip phone, is opened may be to duplicate interface elements to be present on both an outer and an inner surface of the device. However, adding more interface elements may increase the cost, size, and/or complexity of a mobile communication device.